Page 88 of The Restaurant on Plum Island
“Anyway…” Sam gave Alex a scathing look. “Daphne had overheard Paul and Shaun talking about Shaun’s plans.”
“They were meant to include myself, Lilly, and Parker,” Daphne added. “I told Parker, and when he went to confront them, even though I begged Parker not to, Parker heard Shaun telling one of his hired mercenaries to make sure Paul was also taken along with all of us.”
“Daphne, fearing for her and Lilly’s lives, went to Carly for help as she’d been trying to get to me to ask me for help, but Shaun was having her tailed,” Sam continued. “Parker managed to get to Pauland showed him the evidence that he and Daphne had gathered on Shaun.”
“Let me guess,” Ethan said. “Paul confronted Shaun. Shaun knocked Paul out, hoping he’d left him for dead.”
“I think so,” Sam said. “I was already on my way to Boston to get Daphne and Lilly into a safe house. Daphne felt awful, and while we were driving, she told me what Shaun had planned.”
“How heroic of you!” Alex looked at Daphne, sarcasm dripping from his voice.
“Seriously, Alex, if you don’t shut up, I’m going to tie you to a chair and gag you,” Ethan warned.
Alex lifted his hands in surrender and let Sam finish.
“Daphne knew where Shaun was going to take them as he’d told her he was rebuilding Bethany’s house,” Sam explained. “I called my friends at the US Marshal’s office, and along with two FBI agents, we set up this operation.”
“Whose house is this?” Ethan asked Sam.
“Daphne’s,” Shay surprised him by answering. “Daphne bought it to be close to Mom.”
“Oh!” Ethan’s brows shot up.
“We were able to track Shay’s whereabouts thanks to the tracker Alex had installed in her mother’s locket,” Sam explained.
“You did what?” Ethan gasped at his brother.
Alex shrugged. “I wasn’t taking any chances after Bailey got kidnapped.”
“The FBI managed to get a lock on the vehicles, and an undercover police officer picked up the cars and followed them,” Sam continued. “We had a few contingency plans in case Shaun wasn’t bringing them to Bethany’s old house.”
“I was sure he was though because I’d seen some men at the house a week ago painting over the windows in the house,” Daphne told them.
“You knew for a week that Shaun was planning this?” Alex spluttered.
“No!” Daphne shook her head. “I realized why he’d done that after I heard his plans.”
“Sure!” Alex nodded and ducked when Carly threw a cushion at him.
“We needed to capture Shaun and get him to confess to what he’d done,” Sam explained.
“When we got inside the house,” Shay told everyone, “the front door slammed. I heard voices saying, ‘get down on the ground.’ I was about to when Uncle Sam saidnot you, sweetheart.“ She smiled at Sam. “He took my blindfold off and said I’m safe now.”
“Butshe wasn’t, was she?” Alex said. “We still woke up tied to chairs.” His head shot around, and he glared at his niece. “That’s why you were so calm and had a juice box.”
Shay grinned and nodded. “I told you the men were very nice to me.”
“That’s why they offered us water and told us we had to wait for the boss,” Carly said, her voice filling with accusation as she glared at her uncle. “You used us as bait!”
“No!” Sam shook his head, then gave up and nodded. “Yes, but again, you were never in any real danger.”
“Oh yeah?” Carly challenged. “Then how come one of your men gave me a gramble sickle thing.” She waved her hand in the air.
“A karambit knife,” Alex clarified.
“Thank you, Alex,” Carly gave him a warm smile, making Ethan frown.
The experience had Alex and Carly working together. Ethan was racked with a twinge of pride and jealousy.
